This application claims the benefit of Korean Application Nos. P1998-023956, P1998-023957, U1998-011065, U1998-011066, U1998-011067, all filed Jun. 24, 1998, in the Korean Patent Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controller, and more particularly, to a controller mounted on a case for electronic goods, like a monitor, for drawing out a control box or inserting it into a case.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, electronic goods, like a monitor for displaying images, are provided with a controller for adjusting such functions as width, height, luminosity or brightness of images. The controller is fixed to a monitor case or made as one control box and, thus, hidden within the case if not being used and exposed if being used. There are two types of control boxes, one of which is slidable relative to the case to be inserted into or drawn out from the case and the other is provided with a cover connected with a hinge capable of opening or closing to reveal a plurality of functional keys provided with the case.
A controller provided with a control box which is slid into or out of a case is illustrated in Korean Utility Model No. 114,104.
Such a controller is provided with a controller housing fixed to a case of the electronic goods, a control box mounted on the controller housing to be insertable, a spring pressing out the control box to draw it out and a damper mounted on a side of the housing and the control box to prevent rapid movement of the control box. Here, the spring is a coil spring which has a relatively small spring force.
When the control box is not being used, that is, when the control box is within the case, the control box is restrained by a push catcher and located within the housing. To use the controller, the restraint of the control box under the push catcher should be released in order for the control box to come out of the housing.
But as described above, in a conventional controller, the control box must be pressed strongly to be released and, thus, it is not convenient to use the conventional controller.
In addition, as the control box is released by the spring force from the housing, the control box moves at a predetermined speed. Further, as the moving speed is slow due to the relatively small spring force, it takes a long time to draw out the control box.
Furthermore, as the damper is mounted on a side of the control box and the housing, it cannot be used efficiently. That is, as the control box and the housing are designed to have a long side length and the damper is mounted on a side thereof, the damper""s reducing force cannot affect the opposite side.
Especially, when the control box is drawn out, there is not enough room for movement between the control box and the case and, thus, interference between them occurs and, as a result, there is a loss in the reliability of these types of products.
Moreover, as a conventional controller uses a coil spring to release the control box, the control box is released by the coil spring slowly at a predetermined speed.
Accordingly, in order to overcome such drawbacks in the conventional art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a controller for electronic goods having a control box capable of operating more smoothly when the control box is drawn out of or inserted into the electronic goods.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a controller for electronic goods in which the control box has a variable opening speed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a controller for electronic goods, having a control box which does not interfere with a case when the control box is opened or closed.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, there is provided a controller for electronic goods including a housing mounted on a case of electronic goods and provided with guiders on both sides and a control box including a plurality of function keys on an upper side. The control box is inserted into the housing and guided by the guiders. The control box includes a rack positioned between a pair of curved surfaces in the rear of the control box. A pressing member presses the curved surfaces of the control box by an elastic force of an elastic member mounted on a rear of the housing. A device combined with the rack of the control box is provided to reduce the speed of the control box when the control box is drawn out or inserted. A heart cam constraint device is provided to stop the control box when the control box is inserted into the housing. The curved surfaces each include a sharp inclination on an upper side thereof and a slow inclination on a lower side thereof. The pressing member is positioned in the lower sides of the curved surfaces when the control box is inserted. Each guider is a guide bar formed at respective opposite sides within the housing and the control box is provided with guide grooves respectively formed in both sides thereof for receiving the respective guide bar.
Alternatively, each guider is a guide groove formed at respective opposite sides within the housing and the control box is provided with guide bars formed in both sides thereof and received in the respective guide grooves.
The guide grooves and the guide bars are formed in circular arcs and the guide grooves are each provided with a straight line part in a front part of the circular arc. Each guide groove includes a plurality of grooves capable of receiving a lubricant at the bottom of the control box. The grooves receiving the lubricant have a predetermined angle of inclination in an operating direction of the control box. The device for reducing the speed of the control box includes a damper mounted in the middle of the housing and a gear rotatably mounted on an upper side of the damper and combined with a rack of the control box.
The heart cam constraint device includes a heart cam formed in a lower side of the control box and a heart cam driven member provided at a rear lower side of the housing. The heart cam includes a pin path formed in a lower side of the control box and a heartshaped protrusion formed in a front of the pin path. The heart cam driven member includes a pin guided along the pin path and a flat spring mounted on the housing to press the pin to the pin path.